The MCU's Fantastic Four Already Follows A Perfect MCU Reboot Trend

The MCU's Spider-Man's movies. Marvel's First Family, the Fantastic Four, haven't had the easiest cinematic journey. Having already seen two ill-fated movie adpatations, the Fantastic Four's track record on the big screen is not at all indicative of their importance within the comics. However, the MCU is finally set to right that wrong, introducing the team into the franchise in their own Phase 4 movie.

The Fantastic Four's first major cinematic outing in 2005 was considered a reasonable effort. However, the 2007 sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer was critically panned, prompting Fox to drop their sequel plans. Instead, the team's next outing was 2015's Fantastic Four, which was an unmitigated disaster. Criticized for its joyless and unnecessarily gritty tone, Josh Trank's 2015 film failed to garner either critical or commerical success. The Fantastic Four are now finally set to the MCU with their very own Phase 4 movie, and if the franchise's history is any indication, they may finally get the movie treatment they deserve.

Interestingly, there's a very specific precedent for the success of the MCU's Fantastic Four. Spider-Man is one of Marvel's most iconic heroes, and, like the Fantastic Four, he's undergone a number of cinematic incarnations in recent years. Like his fellow heroes, Spider-Man has endured franchise-ending sequels, as well as needlessly gritty updates, yet has finally been fully realized by a third cinematic attempt. Spider-Man's MCU success should be an encouraging sign for fans of the Fantastic Four, as the popularity of Tom Holland's Spider-Man stems from the same specific approach that Marvel will likely take with the Fantastic Four.

The Fantastic Four's Movies Parallel Spider-Man's

It's undeniable that Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four are two of Marvel's most popular comic book properties. The importance of their respective characters within the comics cannot be understated, and their lasting legacy in print evidences just how integral a part they play in Marvel's wider universe. Therefore, it would make sense that they'd also be among the first Marvel properties to receive the blockbuster treatment, getting big-budget adaptations with major stars in key roles.

As both were initially adapted as the superhero genre was just blossoming, it's perhaps unsurprising that their respective franchises were retired and subsequently rebooted. However, not only were the reasons behind their reboots surprisingly similar, but the issues with the films that followed were, too. Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four's respective franchises and rebooted franchises both suffered similar issues, and then found themselves being rebooted a third time into the MCU. Though the quality of Fantastic Four can only be speculative at present, the MCU's treatment of Spider-Man and the success of his films is nothing but encouraging for the future of Marvel's First Family.

Fantastic Four 2005 & 2007's Similarities To Raimi's Spider-Man

Tobery Maguire Spider-Man Fantastic Four 2005

In the early '00s, big-budget, CGI-enhanced superhero movies were a relatively new idea, but they quickly proved lucrative after the success of X-Men. 2002's Spider-Man, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire as the titular hero, established the genre as a force to be reckoned with at the box office. Its 2004 sequel, Spider-Man 2, was even better received. 2005 then saw the introduction of the Fantastic Four in Fantastic Four. Both Spider-Man 3 and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer proved to be disappointing sequels, prompting the cancellation of any further movies in their respective franchises.

Interestingly, Raimi's Spider-Man and 2005's Fantastic Four bear striking similarities in a handful of ways. Both are considered relatively faithful adaptations of their characters' origin stories, albeit somewhat dramatized and sensationalized for the big screen. Both made use of cutting-edge effects that have aged well, and both of the first films were reasonably well-received. In addition, both franchises ended with a sequel criticized for being overstuffed with rushed villains - most notably, Venom in Spider-Man 3 and Galactus in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. That both Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four's first movie adaptations followed such similar paths is particularly interesting, although reasonably understandable, considering the modern superhero genre was still young, and Hollywood was still ironing out the wrinkles.

Fant4stic's Parallels With The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2

Fant4stic cast with Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man

Adding another strange coincidence to the similarities between the Fantastic Four's movies and Spider-Man's is the way in which their respective reboots were received. After both original franchises disappointed in 2007, they didn't surface again until the 2010s, first with The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012, then The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014 and Fantastic Four in 2015. Though Andrew Garfield's turn as Spider-Man was far better received than Josh Trank's Fantastic Four, both reboots had considerable issues at the time of their release. It's only recently that The Amazing Spider-Man has undergone a more favorable re-evaluation, but the criticisms at the time of release raised similar issues to those that Fantastic Four later became infamous for.

Both reboots attempted to put an original spin on their respective characters' established origin stories. In both, this was specifically done in order to inject more drama and add an edgier tone. Though The Amazing Spider-Man partially achieved its tone, Fantastic Four did not, and instead was criticized for its needless grittiness and uninteresting plot. The timing of these reboots and the similarities between their respective issues creates parallels between the two. However, The Amazing Spider-Man 3 being canceled was something that many found upsetting, whereas no one mourned for 2015's Fantastic Four.

How The MCU's Fantastic 4 Can Copy Holland's Spider-Man Success

The massive success of Tom Holland's Spider-Man in the MCU proves that rebooting characters to better incorporate them into the franchise is the best approach to take with the Fantastic Four. Though both previous cinematic incarnations of Spider-Man had plenty of irers, Holland's Spider-Man was able to quickly win over his detractors, proving that Marvel knows exactly how to write the character convincingly into a world full of other heroes. This is also key for the Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man has already set the template for how to make it work.

As with Spider-Man, having two previous incarnations can prove to be a blessing for a reboot, as the MCU version can borrow or discard whichever elements are most appropriate. As the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home proved, ignoring the characters' previous movies is actually not the best approach, but instead highlighting the differences that make the MCU's version better lends a sense of authority to the latest reboot. The Fantastic Four should perhaps prove even easier to reboot than Spider-Man, as their previous incarnations are much less beloved than Maguire and Garfield's respective Spider-Men, but the template for success has already been established by Holland's Spider-Man movies. Regardless of the history involved (or perhaps because of it), the MCU's Fantastic Four will likely prove to be the best movie adaptation of the characters yet, providing it takes at least a few cues from the MCU's Spider-Man movies.

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